Buffalo's Offense looks to be much improved

By williamgoodrich

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After scoring 34 points against Indianapolis and 35 against Cincinnati, it looks as though the offense has finally arrived. Buffalo has possessed one of the worst offenses in the National Football League since the departure of Jim Kelly, as they have struggled to find a franchise quarterback. Following last season’s poor performance from the position, one could only think that there was a need for great change at the quarterback spot, but Trent Edwards is showing why he still deserves a chance.

Last season’s offensive statistics are simply terrible: The 157 passing yards per game ranked 30th in the NFL and 116.7 rushing yards per game ranked 16th. The Bills’ quarterbacks combined to throw a total of 17 touchdowns while throwing 19 interceptions. They also combined for an overall rating of only 62.3, last in the NFL. When looking at those statistics, it is simple to see why the Bills could be headed for another bad season following the departure of key wide receivers and no change at the quarterback spot. However, statistics can’t measure heart, desire or want.

As the Bills progressed through training camp, it seemed as if the quarterback competition would be up for grabs. Anyone who was close to the situation already knew that the job wasn’t really up for grabs, just as long as Edwards continued to play as he did through the OTAs. Surprisingly, Edwards has far exceeded expectations and looks very much like the player we saw to start the season two years ago when the Bills started the season with a 5-1 record. His ability to look far down field, coupled with his mobility and sense of urgency has contributed to a much more fluid passing game thus far in the preseason.

In case you haven’t noticed, our running game looks much better too. The explosive CJ Spiller has added a weapon to the Buffalo backfield that must be game planned against for every game. Also, the usage of the “wildcat” scheme will give us a greater increase in versatility with what we can do offensively.

By the way, we also have a much improved offensive line and a young, talented group of wide receivers that are hungry to prove themselves on the biggest stage. Chan Gailey is quickly proving that he is an offensive master at all levels of the game.

It could be just preseason, but then again we should be happy with what we can get. If our defense can improve, we could catapult our way into contention, one game at a time.